Chapter 81 You said you'd go with me, heavens...
Zhou Yue's last day at Tianxing happened to be an ordinary Friday.
As the investment director, only a few documents for final verification remained on his desk. The project handover had already proceeded according to the established procedures, with timelines, data sheets, and risk assessments all matching up. It was as if he were handling a routine post-investment review, rather than wrapping things up before leaving.
Occasionally, someone would push open the door, wearing their usual smile, saying "Let's keep in touch," and casually leaving a small gift box or card. He would look up and respond, his voice calm and restrained, like a brief confirmation reply in a meeting, devoid of emotion, yet perfectly appropriate.
He closed the folder, neatly placed the pen on the edge of the table, and turned his gaze to the window. The summer sun was blazing, and the green branches and leaves below shimmered in the hot wind.
That bright and vibrant world, separated by this transparent yet hard glass, seemed both so close and so far away. He suddenly realized that, like that sparrow, he was about to fly away from this familiar branch.
In total, he had been in Tianxing for less than a year. In just a few hundred days, it felt like he had gone through an entire cycle: from the initial alienation when he first arrived, to gradually adapting to the daily routine, and now to saying goodbye.
Time passed so quickly it was almost cruel, making it nearly impossible for him to distinguish whether those arguments and laughter were a heavy reality or an unfinished dream.
He lowered his head and continued tidying up the documents, his fingers neatly stacking the papers one by one, aligning the edges and corners, his movements steady and orderly, just like the project filing he had done countless times. But behind that calmness, his emotions were churning violently.
Just then, there was a light knock on the office door. Zhou Yue looked up and his gaze fell on Xia Zhiyao standing in the doorway.
She looked much better than before, no longer as thin as she used to be. Her features were still beautiful, but her expression had become healthier and fuller. The extra roundness made her look softer.
"How's it going?" Xia Zhiyao strolled in, and Zhou Yue noticed that she was wearing a full suit today. In his memory, she rarely wore skirts except for formal banquets.
Zhou Yue closed the stack of documents in his hand, put them into the cardboard box, and nodded: "That's about it."
Xia Zhiyao walked in, her gaze lingering for a moment on the almost empty desk. She walked to the desk, casually took out a tissue, and wiped the dust off the surface.
"Pretty quick." She glanced at him, a faint smile on her face. "I thought you'd be dawdling all day."
Zhou Yue looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "If I dawdle all day, will you be able to spend more time with me?"
Xia Zhiyao raised her eyes and snorted softly, "You sure know how to make excuses."
She crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it into the trash can, then turned her head to stare at him for two seconds, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "But honestly, don't you feel a little reluctant to part with it?"
Zhou Yue turned to look at her, his eyes calm. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "The company is fine, but mainly, I can't bear to part with you."
Xia Zhiyao said, "It's not like you're not going home tonight."
In fact, Zhou Yue didn't have much stuff; it was all packed into two cardboard boxes. Occasionally, Zhou Yue would look up and glance at her profile.
Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds, falling on her shoulders and outlining a soft halo. In that instant, she seemed to be bathed in a gentle glow, quiet and focused.
He stared at it for a few seconds, a pang of sadness welling up in his heart. The figure was so familiar, yet it seemed so distant because of this departure, as if it would disappear from this office and from his world at any moment.
After get off work that evening, Zheng Xiaotian brought a car full of people, saying he wanted to give Zhou Yue a send-off. Along the way, he deliberately kept everyone in suspense, a mischievous smile on his lips, and no matter how much they asked, he just shook his head and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
The car was filled with excitement as everyone teased and pressed him for answers, but he just smiled and didn't respond, keeping everyone in suspense.
It wasn't until the car slowly came to a stop and the familiar sign lit up under the lights that the group realized it was the same Thai fusion restaurant they had welcomed Zhou Yue to on his first day in Tianxing.
"You really make things easy for me." Xia Zhiyao got out of the car, looked at the all-too-familiar storefront, and couldn't help but complain. Her tone was casual, but it hid a hint of helplessness.
Zheng Xiaotian slowly closed the car door, a smug look on his face: "What do you know? This is called finishing what you started. We invited them here the first time they came, and now that they're leaving, we have to send them back here to make it a complete success."
Zhou Yue stood to the side, gazing at the door bathed in warm light, and a sudden, eerie feeling of déjà vu arose within him. It was as if time had reversed, and everything had returned to where it all began.
The menu has been updated with many new dishes, and the restaurant has been renovated with softer lighting, light-colored wood veneer on the walls, and the air is filled with the scent of lemongrass and coconut milk.
“Look at this, this is called innovation.” Zheng Xiaotian waved to the waiter to bring wine, with a hint of boasting. “Even the dishes have been changed, it’s a different experience.”
One new dish after another was served: lemongrass and pomelo salad was refreshing and appetizing, lime and basil roasted scallops were exquisitely presented, and the tom yum crayfish prompted everyone to raise their glasses as soon as it was served. Then came coconut mango duck breast and spicy stir-fried rice noodle rolls. The sweet and spicy, the mellow and the intense flavors intertwined on the taste buds, just like the atmosphere of the dinner.
Laughter filled the room, creating a lively atmosphere that seemed to say nothing would change. But Zhou Yue's fingers tightened as he raised his glass, a complex mix of emotions churning within him.
He knew full well that this was the moment of parting, yet a rebellious anticipation arose within him, a longing for the next unknown journey, for new challenges and trials.
But when his gaze fell upon the familiar restaurant and the faces that had accompanied him, that expectation was overwhelmed by reluctance.
After all, this was the first place where he truly shouldered a heavy responsibility after returning to China. He remembered his initial caution upon arrival, and the heartbeat he felt every time he proved himself at the conference table. This place witnessed his anxiety and stubbornness, as well as his gradual process of establishing himself.
Most importantly, he gained two irreplaceable figures here: Zheng Xiaotian, whose reliability and sincerity were hidden beneath his carefree exterior, and Xia Zhiyao, the woman he had tried his best to win back but could never bear to let go of.
Xia Zhiyao held up her glass, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes were calmer than anyone else's. She was always like this, able to maintain propriety and moderation in any situation. Laughter exploded in her ears, but she couldn't hear it clearly.
She wanted to say something, but knew she shouldn't speak at that moment. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to contain her inner turmoil. It wasn't until a colleague joked that they didn't know when they would see each other again that Zhou Yue smiled and raised his glass in response. At that moment, she lowered her eyes slightly.
For her, this was not only a farewell from a colleague, but also a turning point in fate. He was going to a place far beyond this place, but she was unsure whether she would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with him on that even grander stage.
Zhou Yue took a sip of wine, his thoughts growing increasingly chaotic. He had unforgettable memories of this company, and genuine gratitude towards Zheng Xiaotian, but his feelings for Xia Zhiyao were too heavy to bear.
He still clearly remembered how, on that most agonizing snowy night, he almost desperately chased after her and brought her back. That reunion seemed to have given him a glimmer of redemption, but now, at this farewell dinner, fate was testing him once again.
"Mr. Zhou, you're the star of the night, why are you so distracted?" someone teased, half-jokingly.
The atmosphere at the banquet was lively, with toasts being exchanged and conversations shifting between the latest projects and casual banter. The noise, carrying the warmth of the evening, gradually faded from his ears. He mechanically raised his glass and responded, but his gaze kept inadvertently falling on Xia Zhiyao beside him.
She appeared composed, a faint smile always playing on her lips, as if she had nothing to do with him.
But in the midst of laughter and clinking glasses, she suddenly turned to him, her breath slightly tipsy, almost touching his ear, her voice so soft it was as if she was afraid of being overheard: "After dinner, come with me."
He turned his head to the side, lowered his voice, and said in a seemingly calm tone, but with a hint of barely perceptible urgency: "If you're not going home, where are you going?"
Xia Zhiyao's gaze remained fixed ahead, as if nothing had happened. She didn't look directly at him, her voice slightly tipsy but possessing a fatal allure: "You'll find out soon enough."
Zhou Yue stared at her profile, a growing heat rising in his chest, his fingertips almost crushing the rim of the cup. Unfortunately, Zheng Xiaotian witnessed this entire scene, and he immediately raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin: "Hey, what are you two whispering about again?"
His shout was like a spoonful of water thrown into a hot oil pan, instantly causing an uproar. People around them all looked up, their eyes sweeping in their direction, and a series of drunken jeers erupted.
Seeing the situation, Zheng Xiaotian simply opened his mouth and laughed maliciously: "Forget it, Zhou Yue is leaving anyway, do you two still need to hide this?"
"Oh my, does that mean we have to drink a toast together tonight?" someone whistled, their voice sharp and carrying a hint of the teasing characteristic of drinking parties.
"Yes, yes, come on, Mr. Zhou and Mr. Xia, let's have a drink!"
Xia Zhiyao was pushed to the forefront by the laughter of the crowd, but she remained calm and composed, as if she was already used to this kind of scene. She raised her glass and crisply touched the rim of Zhou Yue's glass: "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, let's have a drink."
The moment Zhou Yue met her gaze, he smiled along with her. The light reflected in her eyes, calm yet clearly concealing a hint that only he could understand. The two tilted their heads back and drank the wine in one gulp, the bottom of their glasses facing the sky.
Zheng Xiaotian laughed even more exaggeratedly, and tapped the table a few times: "Alright! That's more like it!"
The lively atmosphere grew stronger amidst laughter and applause, as if the heaviness of parting had been swept away without a trace.
Zheng Xiaotian, holding his glass, smiled with his usual nonchalant attitude: "Alright, alright, stop pressuring them. They're probably too embarrassed to say it on the spot. Don't worry, I think these two will have to host our wedding banquet sooner or later."
"Yes, yes, yes!" someone echoed, and laughter erupted again.
"Mr. Zheng, will we be sitting at the head table at the wedding?"
As the dinner party ended, the night breeze at the street corner, carrying the humid heat unique to midsummer, dispersed the noise in the restaurant, but could not dispel the surging emotions in my heart.
The lights of the traffic flickered in the distance, accompanied by sporadic honking and the footsteps of the crowd, making this moment seem especially lonely.
Zhou Yue had been given quite a bit of alcohol, and his steps were slightly heavy, but he hadn't completely lost his composure. He pushed up his thin-rimmed glasses, his gaze still cool and clear in the night.
The streetlights shone on his face, making his features even more defined. His messy hair clung to his forehead, obscuring the sharpness in his eyes and brows, leaving only an unintentional air of decadence and captivating charm.
He chuckled softly, his voice hoarse with the effects of alcohol: "The grand farewell banquet has come to an end just like that."
Xia Zhiyao remained expressionless, simply replying, "Yes, all good things must come to an end."
Zhou Yue paused, then suddenly turned to look at her. His eyes were particularly deep in the darkness of the night, and he said in a low voice, "The banquet is over, but we can't get separated."
Xia Zhiyao didn't answer, but simply raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear with a clean and efficient movement, then walked straight ahead. Her high heels tapped on the ground in the night wind, each step exuding composure.
Zhou Yue, however, refused to let her go. He caught up with her in a few steps, walking alongside her, even deliberately slowing his pace so his shoulder was almost touching hers. Emboldened by his slight intoxication, he turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a clingy stubbornness: "So where are you taking me? Hmm?"
Xia Zhiyao finally turned to look at him, her expression indifferent, a cold smile playing on her lips: "You'll find out soon enough." She had only taken two steps when Zhou Yue grabbed her hand.
"Xia Zhiyao, you're not allowed to leave..."
Xia Zhiyao turned her head to look at him, her brows furrowed, but her tone softened: "Where am I going?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue suddenly seemed to have been wronged, gripping her hand even tighter, his voice low and clingy with a hint of pleading: "But I just want to go back with you. You promised you wouldn't leave me."
Just as Xia Zhiyao was about to reach for the car door, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by him. Zhou Yue was extremely close, his smell of alcohol mixed with a faint scent of cologne amplified in the night breeze, his breath falling on her ear, making her heart tremble.
"You'll find out soon enough?" He mimicked her tone from before, his voice low and husky, with a hint of amusement, clearly trying to be cheeky.
Xia Zhiyao turned her head, sighed, reached out and stroked his messy hair, soothing him like a child: "Be good, listen to me, get in the car."
But Zhou Yue seemed not to hear her. Instead, he leaned against the car door, his arm around her, trapping her halfway between himself and the car. The night light shone on his face, revealing a slightly tipsy and decadent appearance, yet also a clear-headedness. His gaze was fixed on her: "I'm serious, Xia Zhiyao. You said I'd go with you, to the ends of the earth." His words were filled with an almost obsessive determination.
Cars roared past on the side of the road, horns and voices mingled in the distance, but between them, it was so quiet that only the rise and fall of each other's breathing could be heard.
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Author's Note: Sorry, I was busy with the start of the semester today and forgot to post my saved-up content on time. I'll continue to update daily from now on [doge emoji].
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